THE cost to Prem clubs of injuries has more than doubled over just four years.
Top flight clubs paid out £266m in wages to players who were NOT available last term.
And Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag’s gripes about his side’s injury woes WERE justified – as the Old Trafford club came out top of the crocks.
With the international players’ union Fifpro having now launched legal action against Fifa in a bid to force the scrapping of next summer’s Club World Cup, the latest edition of the European Football Injury index by insurance brokers Howden could not have been better-timed.
Howden found Prem clubs suffered 915 injuries last season, adding up to one every 94 minutes of match action..
While that was slightly down from the previous campaign, the salaries paid to injured players rose to a new high – and compares to the £113m cost as recently as the 2020-21 season.
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And the average amount of time players are spending on the sidelines because of injury has ALSO doubled.
This season has already seen Manchester City star Rodri ruled out for the rest of the campaign, Liverpool gearing up to be without Alisson for six weeks or more and Arsenal lose Martin Odegaard for over a month.
United were the worst-hit in all of Europe’s big five leagues in cash terms, with 75 injury absences seeing £39.81m spent on players Ten Hag could not select.
And Newcastle’s return to the Champions League took its toll as well, with Eddie Howe’s men suffering a Prem-high 76 injuries across the season and losing 14 players last December, coinciding with the climax of their Group Stage campaign.
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The report states: “The overall injury severity figure in the Premier League has almost doubled since 2021 from 15 days to 28 days.
“That would potentially infer that the Premier League is the most competitive by workload and overall strain on playing squads.
“Across the five major European leagues, the 2023-24 season saw a record high in both injuries and cost as leading clubs and players continue to contend with fixture congestion and the overall effects on injury susceptibility
“It will be fair to expect a continuation of this upwards trajectory.
“The squad depth of clubs will continue to be tested particularly with the impending introduction of the new Club World Cup
“But the cost of injuries in the Premier League has also risen markedly in comparison with the other four ‘Big Five’ leagues.”
United’s issue switch injuries hit their height in April with Ten Hag without 16 players at various stages in the penultimate month of the campaign.
According to Howden, the Old Trafford side, Newcastle, Chelsea – whose injuries last term came at an average cost of £540,000 – and Liverpool all suffered “above average” issues over the past four seasons.
Howden’s James Burrows said: “United have been hard hit in terms of player absences and the impact on team performances. But this has happened to a significant number of clubs.”
Transfer fees scrapped Q&A: How landmark ruling could mean NFL-style trades and stars suing for millions
FORMER Chelsea, Arsenal and Portsmouth midfielder Lassana Diarra has won his landmark case at the European Court of Justice.
SunSport’s Martin Lipton explains what it was all about – and what it might mean for the future of football…
What was the case about?
Diarra argued Fifa’s transfer rules were illegal after the world body backed Lokomotiv Moscow’s claim that he had broken his contract by refusing to train with them.
Is that it?
No. Belgian club Charleroi wanted to sign Diarra but were told they would have to pay the money he was fined by Moscow, while Fifa refused to issue an International Transfer Certificate unless they coughed up.
Okay, so what does the ruling mean?
Theoretically players will have the right to break their contracts and switch clubs without a fee changing hands – just like any employee in any other industry.
Hang on – does that mean the END of transfer fees?
Potentially, yes. Although players would have to want to move.
We would basically end up with a US-style “collective bargaining” model where players would be free to move within transfer windows without impunity.
Clubs might be able to “trade” players – swap deals – but with no extra cash changing hands.
Is everybody agreed about this?
Absolutely not. Fifa claimed the ruling “only puts in question two paragraphs of two articles” of its transfer regulations.
Yet the Judges said the current rules were “prohibited” under EU law and “anti-competitive” as they “limit the freedom of action” of players to change employer.
Read SunSport’s full Q&A with football on the brink of the biggest shake-up in 30 years…
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
